-Caveat Lector- First, my editorial: Hahahahahahahahahahaha!!! Source: http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20010507_1563.html U. S. loses seat on U.N. drug policy committee The Associated Press UNITED NATIONS (AP) In another embarrassing blow, the United States lost its seat on an international drug monitoring body on the same day it was voted off the U.N. Human Rights Commission, U.S. officials confirmed Monday. The United States had campaigned for a third term for American representative Herbert Okun, who has served as vice president on the International Narcotics Control Board. But he was voted off Thursday in the same secret-ballot procedure and by the same countries that cost the United States its seat on the human rights commission. "That, we find, very regrettable," U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said in Washington on Monday. He said the United States would continue its "strong support" for the U.N. anti-drug programs. The 13-member International Narcotics Control Board monitors compliance with U.N. drug conventions on substance abuse and illegal trafficking. Seven countries Iran, Brazil, India, Peru, France, Netherlands and Austria were elected to the board Thursday. China, Russia, Nigeria, Turkey, Mexico and Chile complete their current terms in 2005. Boucher would not speculate as to why Okun lost re-election but, coupled with the loss of the human rights seat, he said "there's something happening out there." "Clearly, I think it's fair to speculate there may be issues related to how we handled ourselves, to how we position," he said. Former U.S. drug policy director Barry McCaffrey said American's absence would be felt more by other countries than by the United States. "It's a great loss to the international community to not have us in a leadership position. We play a dominant role in the research and development of drug treatment programs in the world," said McCaffrey, who used to head the Office of National Drug Control Policy in Washington. "The assistance that we are able to provide the United Nations, the Europeans and former Soviet Union states could be adversely affected," McCaffrey told AP. The 54-member U.N. Economic and Social Council, the main U.N. body responsible for economic and social issues, cast secret ballots Thursday that led to the U.S. ouster from the narcotics board and the Human Rights Commission. The human rights vote spurred calls by some U.S. lawmakers to withhold $582 million in back dues for the United Nations and $67 million to rejoin UNESCO 17 years after the United States left over concerns about political polarization. "We've put time and energy and money and leadership into these international (drug) programs," McCaffrey said, adding that another strike at the United States could "add to the sentiment in Congress that would say, `Why should we support regional or multinational U.N. operations?' " The 70-year-old Okun served as deputy U.S. ambassador to the United Nations from 1985 to 1989 and has been on the narcotics board since 1992. In the corridors at the United Nations, diplomats and U.N. officials said after the human rights defeat that the United States didn't lobby hard enough. The absence of a U.S. ambassador to the United Nations for nearly four months has exacerbated the problem. Many nations including the United States' European allies are angry at the Bush administration's decision to pull out of an agreement to reduce global warming and to move ahead with a new missile defense system. President Bush has also refused to ratify the treaty creating an international criminal court and the U.S. Senate refused to ratify the nuclear test ban treaty. U. N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, asked about the U.S. ouster from the Human Rights Commission, said Monday that "member states, particularily those who have been very strongly supportive of the international criminal court, have been disappointed by the U.S. not coming on board." The drug control board deals with aspects of legal and illegal drug control, including monitoring government controls over chemicals used in the illicit manufacture of drugs. It also assists in preventing diversion of those chemicals into illicit traffic and identifies weaknesses in drug control systems. <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! 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